Govt opens Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Program to NBFCs to widen access

The government has expanded access to its flagship low-cost housing finance programme by allowing eligible non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) to participate in the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Program (PM-AGP), a move aimed at broadening home financing to underserved borrowers and increasing outreach beyond the traditional banking sector. The approval, granted by the federal government on the recommendation of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), allows non-bank housing finance and investment finance companies to extend housing loans of up to Rs10 million under the scheme. Meanwhile, eligible microfinance companies will be able to provide loans of up to Rs5 million, the regulator said on Saturday. The SECP said the move would enable citizens without conventional banking relationships to obtain housing finance on easier terms, leveraging the extensive digital networks and presence of NBFCs in remote and underserved areas. Under the programme, eligible borrowers will be able to access financing at a subsidised 5% profit rate for the first 10 years. The SECP said it had also issued the regulatory framework governing NBFC participation in the scheme. The framework allows NBFCs to extend housing finance in partnership with banks and other financial institutions as well, said SECP. The “Wazir-e-Azam Apna Ghar Program – Ghar Ho Tu Apna, ” also referred to as the Prime Minister Apna Ghar Program (PM-AGP), is a nationwide housing finance initiative launched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It aims to address Pakistan’s chronic housing shortage by providing affordable housing and stimulating economic growth. The programme was formally launched on April 30, 2026. It was designed after extensive consultations with the private sector, the finance ministry, and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The programme is a nationwide effort, covering all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, with no regional restrictions on eligibility. During the first year, the government targets to construct 50, 000 houses with Rs321 billion in financing.

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